1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to water-soluble polymers and/or copolymers with increased biodegradability.
2. Discussion of the Background
Experts are familiar with biodegradable polymers in which biodegradability results from grafting polyalkylene oxide onto acidic monomers such as acrylic acid EP0429307 and EP0430574), or from the presence of maleic anhydride accompanied by precisely-specified conditions of polymerization (EP0396303), or from terminating the polyacrylate chain with hydroxy or sulfide groups (U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,035) or with their monomeric composition (U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,458 and EP0291808).
The present invention concerns water-soluble polymers and/or copolymers, in which neutralization of active acid sites yields increased biodegradability through the use of a neutralizing agent containing magnesium ions, and biodegradable products obtained by implementing this procedure.
These polymers and/or copolymers may be used in industries as diverse as paper, paints, plastics, oil, drilling fluids, water treatment, detergents or cosmetics, textiles, inks, leathers, and grinding and/or splitting of minerals in water, etc.
In all of these fields, the solution of the problem of safeguarding the environment is becoming increasingly urgent. Thus, for ecological reasons, the expert must utilize components possessing increased biodegradability.